


I Can't Dance Without You

by LasbelinaronEva



Series: Wicked Grace and Sucking Face [2]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Drama, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 11:47:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29295390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LasbelinaronEva/pseuds/LasbelinaronEva
Summary: Next installment, y'all! Hope you like it. If you followed me on Twitter this past summer, you'd know that I was super into this one song by Alan Doyle (I Can't Dance Without You), and if you have never heard it, I recommend giving it a listen to get the full effect of this chapter. Or you can imagine them dancing to "The DJ Got Us Falling in Love Again", whatever works ;pIt's a little shorter than the first installment because I really struggled with self-doubt. I want this to be a long-term fic and I want to keep people interested as well, so I want to keep the installments short and sweet with just enough content. I've got big plans, and I hope you all stick around to see where these two go! :)
Relationships: Female Inquisitor/Varric Tethras, Female Lavellan/Solas
Series: Wicked Grace and Sucking Face [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2081352
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	I Can't Dance Without You

Corypheus was no easy foe. As his red beams of energy singed the tips of Ellana’s hair, she found that she had never been more grateful for her squad, who warned her at the start of every area of effect attack. After what seemed like ages, Ellana came in for the kill. In one final searing burst of energy, the Anchor banished the evil into the Fade. 

Ellana found Solas knelt on the rocky ground, holding the destroyed orbs in his palms. She approached him carefully.

“The orb…” he lamented quietly. 

She knelt beside him. “I’m so sorry...I know you wanted the orb saved.”

“You cannot save everything, Inquisitor. It was not your fault.” 

Ellana’s heart ached, not as his ex, but as his friend who knew how much he loved his people. 

He rose, and Ellana mirrored him. She watched his face twist into something she did not understand. “What is it, Solas?

“It wasn’t supposed to happen this way,” Solas muttered. 

Ellana’s stomach dropped. What did he mean?

“Whatever happens,” Solas made sincere eye contact for emphasis, “know that what we had was real.” 

Understanding hit Ellana and it burned like coal in her heart. “You’re leaving the Inquisition, aren’t you…”

Solas remained silent as he fought to maintain composure. 

Anger bubbled in Ellana. Not sadness, not fear, but anger. “Maybe it was real to me, but to you, it was just a means to an end. And now that your end is destroyed, I mean nothing to you,” a single tear streamed down her face as her words sputtered out. She turned her back bitterly, breathing hard. She couldn’t bear to look at him one more moment. If she had looked, however, she would have seen the saddest look the elf had ever worn. Noticing that there was no rebuttal, she swiveled around to find that he had already left.

Whether it was the sadness at his departure or the adrenaline crash was anyone’s guess, but Ellana felt her legs give way as she collapsed onto the hard ground. She struggled to catch her breath as she began to cry. Muffled sobs grew louder until her whole body rattled with emotion. Why, after accomplishing a task so big, did she feel so small? 

“There you are, Inquisitor--” a voice called to her from around one of the crumbling buildings. As Cassandra neared Ellana, she elicited a small, “oh, my.” 

Ellana waved her hand, motioning Cassandra that it was all right and she would rejoin the group shortly. The seeker stared at Ellana, frozen and at a loss for what to do. She slowly knelt at her friend’s side, laying her weapon out of the way. Cassandra knew Ellana was soft-hearted but had never seen her like this. She reached out and lightly touched the elf’s shoulder. 

“It’s over, now. You did it,” she coaxed. “You did it.” 

Varric, presumably also looking for Ellana, rounded the corner and set his eyes upon the two. In an attempt to not appear too worried, he briskly walked over. Ellana’s tears continued, and Varric joined Cassandra at her side. 

“Damn, Ell. This is the second time I’ve seen you cry in a week. I’m starting to think it’s me,” he said. 

Ellana shook her head through quiet sobs and uttered an unintelligible, “shut up!” 

Varric paused, unsure of what to do. He was under close watch from Cassandra, and any affection he would show was sure to bring teasing from the seeker. He placed his hand on Ellana’s free shoulder and gently mirrored Cassandra. 

“Deep breaths,” he coaxed, “deep breaths.” 

Slowly, Ellana’s tears slowed and her breathing returned to normal. Cassandra and Varric helped their friend to her feet.

“What would I do without you two?” She asked, wiping her eyes and pulling them in for a quick group hug. 

As the group returned to Skyhold, they were greeted with a celebration the likes of which Ellana had never seen. Just the morning before, the air had been so tense it was nearly unbreathable, but now, the air hummed with jubilation and hope. Josephine met them at the gate, a true smile written all over her face. Ellana dismounted and approached Josephine.

“Is it really over?” Josephine asked. 

“I hope so. I don’t know how much more my little heart could take!” Ellana teased. 

“You and me both, Inquisitor.” She motioned quickly to the small welcoming party around her. 

The crowd dispersed, hurrying in all directions to fetch the finest drinks from the cellar, ask the chefs to begin preparing the richest meals, and spread the news of the victory throughout Skyhold’s walls. There would be no expense spared this time.

Later that evening, after every toast had been made and every hunger satiated, Ellana sat among her closest companions in the hall. The flames held by every candlestick and chandelier glittered with a particular brilliance that elevated the mood of the crowd even higher. Sera’s and Blackwall’s laughter boomed off the sides of the walls as Ellana watched contentedly behind her bowl of soup. 

Vivienne leaned in (gracefully avoiding touching any food), and asked, “Well, my dear, you’ve conquered Corypheus. Now what?” 

Ellana looked around at her friend’s expectant faces, then proclaimed, “To the tavern!” 

A cheer erupted at her table, and a few willing members rose to begin moving the party elsewhere. Others politely declined and returned to their rooms for rest. As Ellana started towards the courtyard, Varric followed closely beside. Varric watched her, a concerned look growing across his brow. 

“Hey, Ell? Do you want to talk about what happened earlier? Are you okay?”

The Inquisitor shrunk slightly at the mention of ‘earlier’. “Oh, um...yeah. That was embarrassing,” she admitted. 

Varric shrugged. “You were exhausted, I mean, you probably still are. You just accomplished something great. It all just came bursting out. Don’t be embarrassed,” he said, lightly nudging her. 

Ellana sighed and continued walking through the courtyard. 

“So… Solas is gone, huh?”

Ellana nodded. “Good riddance,” she noted quietly. 

“Yeah,” Varric nodded, less of an agreement and more of an encouragement. “Forget about him for a night. Let’s party like we mean it.” 

“Now we’re talking.” 

Inside the tavern, music blasted from the small ensemble of musicians positioned in the corner. Though the patrons were small in number, they made up for it in energy. Sera sat on the bar, swaying her half-empty stein to the rhythm, Bull stood in the corner with the redheaded barmaid on his arm, and a few brave souls were dancing their hearts out in front of the band. 

When Ellana entered, Sera raised her stein in greeting. “Ellana!” She cried. 

Ellana nodded and made her way over to the bar. The bartender slid her a cold draft and Ellana raised it high, wordlessly toasting with Sera.

“You know, when you said you wanted a band for our celebration,” Sera began, “I thought you were talking about some fuddy-duddy orchestra. This, this is much better.” 

Ellana laughed, shaking her head. “Who do you take me for? Solas?” After she realized what she had done, her eyes bugged, and darted to the floor in embarrassment. 

“Where is that pompous arsehole anyway? 

“He left. He might be gone for good.” 

Sera rolled her eyes, but upon seeing the sadness in Ellana’s face, attempted to be empathetic. “Hey,” she suggested quietly, “wanna go throw soup on his dumb paintings?” 

Ellana’s eyes lit up mischievously as she nodded. The folk music around her faded as one song ended and the next started up. Recognizing it immediately, she threw her head towards the sound. She grabbed her nearby dwarven companion with such enthusiasm it made him jump slightly. Together, they traveled across the room to the makeshift dance floor. 

Varric watched Ellana uneasily, surprised at the energy that his friend had summoned. She offered her hand in grand invitation. 

“I know this song by heart and I love it. Dance with me?” 

Varric chuckled. She had drug him across the room, after all. There was hesitation in his voice as he asked, “what are you doing?” 

Ellana glanced from her open palm to the dwarf. “Choosing someone who chooses me.” 

So as to not seem too excited, he waited a moment before taking her hand. Pulling her close, he placed his hand on her waist. 

“A dancer, too? What can’t you do, Varric?” She teased.

“Be glad you’ve never heard me sing. Not a singer.” 

Ellana silently now wished she knew what he sounded like. The chorus of the song filled the air around them. 

_\--I’ll tell you no lies, I’ll tell you nothing but the truth. You give me tonight, I’ll give a lifetime back to you--_

Ellana spun Varric and held his hand tightly, her soft, magic-wielding palm against his hardened, callused fingers. 

_\--oh, like the moonlight without the moon. Oh, I can’t dance without you. Oh, like a song without a tune. Oh, I can’t dance without you--_

Softly, under the music, Ellana was singing along. The lyrics rang truer for her than they had ever before. Under the tavern roof surrounded by love and joy and victory, what more could someone ask for? As the song ended, Varric spun Ellana and dipped her body backward. She felt the air catch in her throat as his face hung mere centimeters from hers. She stared into his soft brown eyes, noticing the upturn of their corners in a smile. But as soon as it had happened, the moment vanished, and Varric straightened her. Ellana couldn’t hide the deep flush on her face as she busied herself applauding the band.

A question formed on Varric’s lips, but before he could ask it, Ellana spoke up. 

“I’m going to go ruin some murals.”


End file.
